The Lost Ones
by rosepetalsinthewind
Summary: Raven was not the only living being Trigon created. Turns out, there were more- but a war among four beings in particular, four family members, representing the elements left the rest of their kind destroyed and the four waging war trapped in stone. The four are awakened by Slade, but they don't share his ideals (Set during and after the events of the episode "The End - Part 2").
1. Forward

Hey! So, this is a little fic that's actually been about two or three years in the making. I don't own Teen Titans, but I do own the Wolves- they're my OC's. I really hope you enjoy the story and I'd love if you could review it and tell me what you think so I can get a hint on what to do better or what I'm doing well. Now, here's a quick rundown on what the story's going to be about since I couldn't actually write a summary for it:

Basically, four immortal beings have been trapped in stone since the humans first started roaming the Earth. Trigon created the Ad Elfmuth to fulfill part of a prophecy which will come after the supposed end of the world. Trigon blessed four of the Ad Elfmuth with elemental powers and they basically kept the peace on Earth. One, however, got a little power hungry and sought to take over the powers of the others, too. They destroyed their kind in their war and thus, to preserve them, Trigon trapped them in stone. Slade revived them thousands of years later to assist in the defeat of Trigon. The power hungry wolf deserts his kind, leaving the other three to join the Teen Titans. Daunt, however, falls for a certain half-demon as it says she is supposed to in the prophecy. The mayhem ensues from there.

Now, I hope you enjoy, and please- follow, favorite, and review!


	2. Warriors

_Thunder crashed overhead. The earth shook, the wind howled, and everything was frigid and cold despite the fire._ _Flames crackled and thrashed violently, setting the village ablaze. The rain overhead did nothing to put out the fire, it was as though the fire acted upon its own will- or, perhaps, the will of another._

 _"Hrah!" A masculine voice screamed, and a body was flung through the flames. The body, belonging to a female, landed on the ground. The female bounced and rolled a bit, then tried to get up. The attempt, however, was futile. She collapsed. Her eyes, a bright green, met her opposite's. The male pushed through the flames, his cold blue eyes glaring at the female._

 _"Brother," The female said softly, pleadingly, "Please. It does not need to be this way."_

 _"Of course it does." The male, her brother, snarled. "Sister, it has always been this way. You know it has, too. It **must** be this way. It is our role."_

 _The female attempted to get up again, but the male kicked her in the side. She glared up at him, the blue tribal tattoos on her face illuminated by the flames. The boy had similar tattoos, but they were not the same pattern. "We can stop this," The female pleaded, "We were so close, Brother, we-"_

 _"Things will never be the same, **Praestes**. It cannot be!" He raised his hands, which had begun to glow with an energy so light it was almost a white-blue._

 _"Very well, **Cruciatus** ," The female, Praestes, murmured. Her hands began to glow as well, but hers was a deep, angry red. "I love you, brother. **Servator**! **Proelia**!" Another two beings, another male and female, appeared- the female's hands glowed with a bright, white energy. The male's hands glowed a golden-brown. "Your family loves you."_

 _The energy exploded from the male's hands, as it did from the female's, as the four leaped at each other, changing form in midair. The combined energy was blinding, a bright light which burned and pulsated. And then, everything was still, quiet. Dead. Once the smoke and light cleared from the explosion, the land around the two siblings was a smoking crater lined with snow and ice. In the center of the crater stood four stone wolves, one larger than the other. The largest one was pure white, its six demonic eyes glowing blue, its teeth bared in rage. On its chest, a triangle- its base facing upward-_ _was carved, also glowing with a blue energy, it was reared upward on its hind legs as if to strike. The one who had been Praestes was a bit smaller, but not by much. Its six demonic eyes glowed with a fierce red, its expression calm as opposed to its opposite's. It stood calm, poised and erect. Unafraid. On its chest was also a triangle, the point facing upward and it glowed with the same energy that its eyes glowed. To the calm wolf's right was a wolf mirroring Cruciatus's pose, but it merely seemed to be leaping- its hind paws still touching the ground. Its jaws were frozen in an angered howl, its six eyes glowing white. The triangle on its chest mirrored Praestes's, but there was a line running through the triangle's apex. And, to Praestes's left was the last wolf- the one which had glowed gold. It appeared to be diving toward the ground almost, its front legs folded beneath it, its jaws open in a snarl. Its six eyes glowed gold, and the triangle on its chest mirrored Cruciatus's, but again a line ran through the apex. The four statues seemed to radiate energy and power._

 _ **My dear children** , the deep voice echoed through the clearing, **your time has not yet come. One of you will have a special job... I ought to save you.**_

 _And with that the earth crumbled around the statues, sinking the statues into its core- into a tomb that would, perhaps, be forever undiscovered._

* * *

Slade opened his eye, pulling his gloved hand away from the the relic walls. He knew about the sacred event which had taken place at the very spot thousands of years ago. After all, the Portal had not been the only being Trigon had created. Trigon had needed minions, hadn't he? Apprentices, ones to carry out his knowledge? They had been called the _Ad Elfmuth_ , the Wolves. They'd been peaceful, until Trigon had given special attention to four in particular.

Praestes, the flame.

Cruciatus, the ice.

Proelia, the air.

Servator, the earth.

Cruciatus had grown angry after a while, he believed he was the most special of the four, and thus the other three took action to stop him- though the attempt wiped out the rest of their civilization. Of course, they had not truly been special- perhaps, in a way they were, having been descended from the original Wolf, Exodus. Praestes and Cruciatus had come first, the twin brood of Exodus's first born Decus and her mate Perditio, the Alpha. Proelia and Servator had come next, the twin brood of Exodus's youngest- Velocitas and her mate Metus, the Omega. The four Alphas, descended from the first, had been trapped for many a century and now their time had come. Trigon had come, after many a year, and he had taken what he had wanted- the human realm. But, of course, it was not just- and Slade wished to take his world back, after all how could he wreak his own destruction while Trigon's all-watching eye saw all? But, if Slade could harness the power of the four remaining _Ad Elfmuth_ trapped within the stone, he could- perhaps- stop Trigon. After all, the _Ad Elfmuth_ combined stood as a threat to Trigon, so it was worth a shot. Slade had learned how to wake the Stone Wolves, he had taken the charms needed from the locations Trigon had left clues for- four triangles, elemental symbols. He had looped the four charms onto a single thread and wore them around his neck, behind the armor.

So, thus, Slade approached the Titans taking refuge in the relic, his tone stern, and of course- he would be met with opposition. Everything the Titans seemed to do was oppose, oppose everything- good or bad. But Slade, who was already falling weak, did not need their attacks or anything from them aside from their cooperation. He watched them as they were flung into the desolate place, watched them speak to one another.

"I can't believe Raven is really gone." Robin murmured.

"That's because she isn't." Slade said, pushing himself upright. He meandered toward the Titans, cool and collected, from the shadows.

Almost immediately Robin's tone changed. "Slade," He growled, his fists clenching. Robin leaped into the air, launching his birdarangs at Slade, which Slade deflected. The Green One attacked next, taking on the form of a dinosaur. Slade was not so lucky that time.

"What's the matter, Slade?" Robin asked as he watched the man fall to the ground. "Giving up already?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Robin... but I'm not here to fight." Slade said, looking up at the boy. "I'm here to help." He got to his feet.

The Green One stomped toward him, pointing a finger in Slade's face. "We don't need your help!"

Slade rolled his one eye, dusting off his arms. "Yes.." He said, "You seem to have everything under control.. Raven can still be saved."

"Hraah!" The Tamaranean girl launched toward him, throwing Slade into the wall where she held him, her eyes glowing viciously. Her right hand glowed with energy. "You will not dishonor our friend with your trickery!"

"Whatever you're sellin', we're not buying!" Cyborg said, his arm morphing into a canon. He aimed at Slade.

"Think of me what you will." Slade growled. "But what Trigon did, even I wouldn't wish upon this world."

"It's a little too late for 'I'm sorry'," Cyborg said, glaring.

"You mistake my generosity for regret, Cyborg." Slade said coolly. "I only offer my assistance because it suits _me_."

Starfire seemed to calm, and she lowered her guard. "But we saw Raven become the portal." She set Slade down. "She was destroyed,"

"Raven _has_ fulfilled the prophecy of her birth." Slade admitted, watching the Titans closely. "That part of her existence is complete... but another part still remains... for the moment."

"Why are you doing this?" Robin demanded, his arms folded over his chest. "What's in it for you?"

"My reasons are my own." Slade said, passing them. "Do you want your friend back, or not?"

"Just tell us where she is and we'll take it from there," Cyborg growled.

"There is no _we_ _._ " Slade said. "This is a journey only _one_ of you make take."

"No deal!" Beast Boy said. "She's our friend, all of us are going!"

"Then your friend," Slade began, "Is doomed to oblivion. You failed to realize Trigon is all-seeing, his mind can be at any place at any time. For us to succeed, Trigon's attention must be occupied."

"And how do you expect us to do that? We already tried fighting him, look where it got us!" Cyborg said.

"It's the end of the world." Slade began. "Did you think it would be easy? I don't expect you to _win_ , I don't even expect you to _live_. Only endure."

"I'll go with you." Robin said.

"Robin, no." Starfire protested. She looked uncomfortable with the idea.

"If there's even the slightest chance to save Raven, it's all we have.." Robin said.

"The journey to this world has taken much of Trigon's power." Slade said. "With this," he held his clenched fist out, then opened it, revealing a shiny golden ring in his palm, "You might be able to survive. It's a ring of Azar, forged by the same order that imprisoned Trigon. I know from experience that it works." Starfire was the one to take the ring, and after doing so Robin piped up.

"I know you can do it." He told Starfire, embracing her. They stood there, hugging, for a while before Cyborg spoke.

"It may get ugly," He began, "But don't worry. We'll keep 'im busy."

"Yeah," Beast Boy said, smiling, "Just wait 'til Trigon gets slapped with my patented new Wet Willy maneuver!"

"He won't know what hit him." Robin said, managing a small smile.

"Your goodbyes are really quite touching.." Slade said. "But we have work to do."


	3. In The Dark of the Night

Slade found himself staring up at the large stone doors, the glyphs of the charms carved into its rocky surface. They seemed to glow their respective colors, pulsing dimly in the firelight of hell's 'rivers'. Robin had gone off to find the remnants of Raven, Slade had gone to find his own prize. He had taken back his humanity first, and the Warden Demon's weapon, and now he would take the power of the elements. He slashed the weapon against the doors, which creaked and gave out with a flash of energy. Behind the doors was a dark room with no light other than the dim lights provided by the glowing eyes and symbols. Here the statues were, frozen as they had been for thousands of years. Behind the mask, Slade was smirking. He approached the statues, admiring how life-like they were. But, then again, they had been alive once. He had spent his time learning about them, everything he could gather from Trigon. The statues were a bit larger than Slade had expected, the largest- the Ice Wolf- standing at about nine feet tall, eight feet long from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail. The smallest- the Air Wolf- stood at about seven feet tall, perhaps six feet long from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail.

He grabbed the Symbol of Air from his neck and approached the nearest statue. "Proelia Ardent," He chuckled, "The smallest. The mind. The Warrior." He tore the symbol from the string and pressed it into the engraving. The room shook for a second, but then it stilled. Nothing would happen until Slade freed the other three. He approached the next one, heading in the respective order he found fit. He tore the Symbol of Earth from the string. "Servator Quip, brother to Proelia Ardent. The earth. The body. The Watcher." He pressed the symbol into the earthen wolf's chest. Again, the room shook. He then stopped in front of the calm wolf. "Praestes Daunt, the flame. The spirit. The Guardian." His palm lingered on the fire wolf's chest a little longer as he stared at it. She was the one to look out for, he knew that. She was the Spirit, she was the one with the willpower. But he then drew away after the room stopped shaking once more. "Cruciatus Cogent.." He said, stopping at the final wolf. "The ice. The emotions. The Agonizer." Perhaps he would pose a challenge, too, but not now. Since Slade had freed them, they owed him one service.

Slade stepped back, watching, as the ground shook and groaned. The light in each statue grew stronger, the cracks that ran along the stone surfaces breaking open and glowing each statue's respective color. Then, all at once, the statues shattered. Slade shielded his eye from the bright light that broke through the statues, and when he looked up the legendary _Ad Elfmuth_ stood before him. They were livid, eyes burning, as they stared at Slade. But, knowing what they must do, they stood still and awaited his command.

 ** _What is your wish, mortal?_** The voice of Cogent, a deep and melodic bass, ran through Slade's mind.

Slade, once more, was smirking beneath the mask. "Come, my pets," He cooed, "We have a battle to wage."

 _ **Very well, mortal.**_ The deep voice said again, and all four lowered their heads, eyes still burning and glowing, though the symbols had vanished.

The Wolves darted forward. Slade leaped onto the back of the nearest one, Daunt, and held tight.

* * *

Daunt had not seen the above ground in a long time, that much she knew. The man on her back, cloaked in metal, said nothing, nor did he seem to acknowledge Daunt or her family. But the above ground, once they had fought their way through the remaining demons, was- disappointingly enough- found to be in disaster. People were locked in stone as Daunt and her family had once been, trapped in a tomb. Smoke filled the air and the streets lay broken.

"Stop." The metal man commanded, and they did.

Daunt looked around, feeling a familiar feeling bubble up in her chest. Trigon was near. _**Now what, mortal?**_ She questioned. Her voice was not as deep as her twin's, but it still commanded attention and was still regal.

Slade looked around, squinting, as he leaped down from Daunt's back. That's when he saw Trigon, hovering around a particular spot of ruins. "There, my pets. There is the man who locked you away for so long. I have but one wish, _Ad Elfmuth_ , go forth and battle him!"

The four wolves raised their heads together and let loose a mighty howl that drew forth crashing thunder. Their hackles raised, and they darted into the battle behind the man who had freed them. Slade raised the Warden's weapon over his head, leaping into the air with the support of Quip, who shot him upward. He slashed and removed the intergalactic demon's left antler, which the Wolves leaped over. The Wolves banded around a group of five, four odd adolescents and a child dressed in white, which Daunt could feel herself being pulled to- a small tugging feeling in her gut drew her to the child. But, Daunt decided, that could wait. Slade landed in front of the Wolves, glaring up at the demon.

"Um, who're they?" The green adolescent asked, elbowing the male with the spiky hair.

"No clue," The boy muttered. "But we can use just about all the help we can get. Titans, go!"

" _Ad Elfmuth_ , attack!" Slade bellowed. The Wolves leaped forward once more to do battle. Daunt's maw was alight with flames as she charged, her eyes narrowed into angry slits. She threw herself at her creator, sinking her serrated fangs into his leg. Ardent and Quip busied themselves with throwing themselves into the demon's gut, their thick skulls colliding with the demon's midsection. Trigon let out a huff and stumbled backward. Cogent, however, was nowhere to be seen; which made Daunt suspicious; however, Cogent's disappearance could wait. Trigon struck the earth, sending the adolescents flying. He swiped at the Wolves, knocking them into each other, but Daunt once again got to her feet.

" _ **You always were my favorite**_ ," Trigon snarled at her. " _ **But now you will die with the others**_!"

Daunt let out a snarl and leaped at him again, biting into his ankle. Trigon roared in pain, but Daunt knew she was not causing much damage. Her attack was simply like a mosquito bite, small and annoying. The green once changed forms and flew up high, then again he changed and latched onto Trigon's ear. Trigon roared in pain and fell back, but still.. it was not enough. But, then, it became a miracle.

They, the adolescents and the Wolves, were actually injuring Trigon. Perhaps they could end him. Daunt let loose another echoing howl, calling to Ardent and Quip for help. They leaped forward and attacked again, helping Daunt pull Trigon down once the spiky-haired male had blinded Trigon. Trigon's screams were music to Daunt's ears, she could do this all she wished. The beings around her, other than her family, were magnificent allies.

"For the record," Daunt heard the metal-cloaked man say, "I am no one's servant." He flung the weapon he carried at Trigon, which hit true to its mark and forced Trigon back into the pool of lava. The adolescents watched, tense, gathering on the fallen debris and rocks. The three Wolves stood together, growling, their tails lashing.

" _ **ENOUGH**_!" Trigon bellowed, his eyes glowing with anger. He released a beacon of energy from his eyes, hitting Slade and throwing the man back.

"No!" Daunt heard the child say. Trigon's beacon struck the adolescents as well, and though they tried to avoid it, Trigon swiped at the Wolves once more and threw them to the ground. Daunt had not the strength to pick herself up after she landed, she could only watch tiredly. Around her the adolescents groaned in agony, in pain. They, too, stayed still.

"Hh!" The child ran forward to the spiky-haired male. "Get up!" She pleaded. "Robin, please, get up!"

Trigon hovered above the child and the boy, and Daunt could sense his anger. She released a small whine and tried to get up. "Farewell, dear daughter," Trigon spat. He released another beacon of energy, but this time... something happened. The beacon was stopped by some strange, new white energy. It surrounded the child and the male, Robin. It protected them. Daunt watched, having weakly rolled to her stomach.

The child seemed surprised. "How..?" She whispered to herself.

"You may have retained some trace of my power.." Trigon growled, "But you are still no threat to me, _little girl_! I am your creator, your master, you exist only to serve me. You survive only because I allow it! What hope can a mere child have of defeating her _all-powerful father_?!" The child had slumped forward, her eyes closed. Daunt whined again.

The child's face contorted into anger, she opened her eyes to reveal glowing white orbs. She was enveloped in white for a few seconds, blinding Daunt who looked away to protect herself. "You may of created me..." The girl said, but when the light surpassed she was no longer a child. She was, like the others, simply a teenager. She glared at Trigon. "But you were _never_ my father." Her fists were encased with the same glowing white energy. She raised them and released her own beacon of white energy. It struck Trigon in the chest, forcing him back as he released a growl of pain. The female advanced, calm and collected, her fists still encased with the energy.

"Wretched, insignificant- AAH!" Trigon was again struck by the energy.

"Fathers are kind," She struck again, "Fathers protect you," She struck again, "Fathers raise you!" Again she struck, and Daunt could feel the power inside her. Trigon was yowling in pain, covering his eyes. "I was protected by the monks of Azarath! I was raised by my friends!" Trigon continued to wail in pain, trying to save himself from the energy that circled his body. Daunt stood, going to the girl's side, calm and collected. The girl did not look at Daunt, but Daunt knew she had acknowledged Daunt's presence. The other adolescents came to the girl's side as well, as did Quip and Ardent. "They are my family," The girl continued, the adolescents placed their hands upon her shoulder, seeming to absorb her power or lend her their strength, "This is my home, and you are _not welcome here_!" The Wolves raised their heads in vindication, releasing a deep and melodic howl when the girl levitated into the air released another attack. "Azarath Metrion _Zinthos_!" The light was, again, blinding; and when it disappeared Trigon was gone. Slowly, the world returned to normal, and the Wolves stepped back, allowing the adolescents their space.

Daunt, Ardent, and Quip returned to their human forms, watching them. How long had it been since Daunt had been a human once more?

"Raven, that was..." The tallest female began, but her sentence was finished by another.

"Unbelievable," A man, half metal, breathed.

"No," The female, Raven, said. "It wasn't." She was smiling, she was beautiful. "Somebody believed." She hugged Robin, who returned the gesture.

"Welcome back." Robin said, smiling.

"Okay, you're freaking me out here! The white robe and smile are weird enough, but... hugs?!" The green one demanded, waving his arms about, which Daunt found amusing. "Are you still... _you_?!"

Raven smiled. "Blue is still my favorite color, and don't get used to the smile, 'cause you're still not funny." Her smile evaporated.

"Huh?" The green one asked, backing away a bit, but then his expression was replaced with joy as he leaped forth and hugged her. "Raven!" He cooed.

"Quit it," Raven growled. The green one released her, and the adolescents turned to the Wolves. Raven studied the woman in front, who was perhaps a bit taller than Starfire, but not as stringy. In fact, the three newcomers were incredibly muscular; however, they were still humanoid, but Raven could feel Trigon's influence on them. She studied the markings on the lead female's face, the green-eyed female whose long, curly black hair cascaded down her shoulders. They were tattoos, Raven concluded. Two blue 'C' shaped markings surrounded the female's right eye, while blue slashes ran down her left eye and a blue line ran down her chin. The other female, a redhead which also had green eyes, had three red lines down her chin and three white dots beneath her eyes. The lone male with bright green eyes, obviously the redhead's twin, had three black lines running diagonally across his face. They seemed tribal- mostly due to the primal clothes they wore, the animal skin cloaks and leather clothing-, ancient, yet here they were- no older than Raven and her friends. "Who are you?" Raven demanded, frowning, as she studied them.

"I am Daunt." Daunt said, dipping her head slightly. "These are my cousins, Ardent and Quip. We are the _Ad Elfmuth_ , or.. at least.. the last of three of the four of them."

"Where's the fourth one?" Robin asked.

"He tends to disappear." Quip explained, looking around.

"He's rather... insistent." Ardent muttered, sniffing for his sent.

"I can sense the Trigon in you." Raven said, "Why?"

"He created us." Daunt said simply. "But we did not wish to follow his path." She walked toward Raven, but stopped and sunk to her knees. She extended her arm forward, palm up, head lowered. It was a supplicant gesture, a submissive gesture. "We mean no harm." Raven wasn't sure how she knew what the gesture meant, but she hesitantly ran her fingers across the calloused skin of the female's palm. Daunt rose to her feet once more, offering a smile. "How can we be of assistance?"

"Depends," The metal man began to smile, "What can you do?"


	4. She-wolf

"So you wish to... observe us?" Daunt asked, watching the five- which she had learned were called Teen Titans- before her.

"Well, I mean, you look human- but you're not. Plus, you don't even know what year it is." Cyborg said. He tilted his head. "How long have you been down there?"

Daunt scratched her chin, frowning, and she sat down. "All I can remember is the light we created. The flames. The acrid smoke. Everything else is just... blank." She murmured, running a hand through her hair. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked to its owner. The hand belonged to Raven, and she was frowning.

"What exactly happened for you to be stuck in my father's realm?" The halfling asked, tilting her head.

"My brother, my twin," Daunt started, "We.. us four were granted our gifts. I was fire, my brother was ice, Ardent was wind, and Quip was earth... or, is. We're not dead yet. But Cogent... He became greedy, he wanted our power. So, we subdued him and Trigon entombed us."

"Question." Beast Boy raised his hand. "You're ancient, right? And you haven't seen anything for, like, thousands of years? Well, then how can you speak English?"

Daunt smiled. "Our native language is Latin. But, when the man who released us used charms to free us from our state. It absorbed what we needed to know, such as language, from his memories and transferred them to us. It was a good question, however."

"So... what do you know, then?" Robin asked.

"I.." Daunt frowned. "I know my name. When I was frozen, I would of been seventeen. I'm a pyrokinetic. This is Earth. I was a statue for a long, long time.. And, everything else is just bits and pieces. From what I gathered from.." Daunt paused, thinking, "Slade's memories.." She said the name cautiously, "I can see you five. You're heroes."

"Aw, shucks," Beast Boy grinned.

"If Trigon created you, why are you not evil?" The soft voice of Starfire asked.

"Because I didn't want to be. We didn't want to be." Daunt explained, offering a tiny smile. "I suppose he made the mistake of giving us our free will. But, earlier, you asked us what we can do." Daunt leaned back for a moment, thinking, then she sighed. "I will allow you to observe me. But my cousins will need a different mission. My brother is unstable, he always has been and we need to find him. If Ardent and Quip find him, they can bring him back and we can subdue him."

"Beast Boy and Starfire can go with them." Robin said, and the two led Ardent and Quip out. "You've been gone a long time, a lot has changed."

"Deal." Daunt murmured.

"Can I get a blood sample?" Cyborg asked, kneeling before the sitting Daunt. Daunt said nothing, but offered Cyborg her arm and allowed him to stick the needle into her skin. She winced, but only for a second. "Your blood, it's-"

"It's not blood." Daunt told him. "It's ichor. We're not like you humans, or like Raven. We're-"

"Immortal." Raven murmured, studying Daunt. "I read something on your kind once.. a long time ago. There's no more of you."

"Of course there's not." Daunt smiled sadly. "Cogent made sure of that." She sighed and glanced at the ground. "My father would not be proud."

"Your father?" Robin asked.

Daunt raised her head. "I had parents, like all of you. I didn't just appear. My parents, you see, were the leaders of our race. The Alphas."

"Is that why you command the others? You're an Alpha, too?" Raven asked. Daunt gave a small nod.

"My father was teaching Cogent and I. We were supposed to share the pack, fifty-fifty, but when our younger brother was born.." Daunt trailed off. "I don't know what happened to Cogent. I don't know why he attacked, but he did. And now we're here." Daunt frowned.

"Everything happens for a reason." Raven's hand was at her shoulder again.

"Does it?" Daunt asked herself, but then she stood. "Now, what else do you want to observe?"

"When we fought Trigon, you switched forms." Robin pointed out. "What can you change into?"

"Well, hence the translation of my kind's names, wolves." Daunt said. "But, there are different variants of the forms. The only thing that usually stays the same is the demon eyes. The form I'm in now is called the Homid. It's the most human variant, but this is the exception to the eye rule. Crinos is the second form, it's what you know as a _werewolf_. Half man, half wolf. Glabro is the between variant of Homid and Crinos. It's still human, but kinda wolfy. Hispo is the last form, the one you saw me fight in."

Raven studied Daunt again. "You're strong, I can feel it. Superhuman strength, maybe?"

Daunt nodded. "Depending on gender and ranking, my kind can lift anywhere between 6270 pounds to 8000 pounds."

"Really?" Cyborg quirked an eyebrow. "But you're tiny!"

"But I'm also not human." Daunt conceded.

"Your tattoos, what do they mean?" Robin asked.

"They're the tattoos of an alpha." Daunt said. "In what once was my culture, depending on rank, heritage, or gender a Wolf would receive their own unique tattoo. Since my parents were both alphas, this was the one I got. Of course, that's just the facial tattoo. I have more."

"Y'know," Cyborg started, "The color kinda matches Raven's blue."

"Hm." Daunt glanced at Raven. "Odd." She stood and cracked her knuckles and other joints. Daunt was a bit sore from being frozen for a couple thousand years, so she stretched and allowed her back to pop.

"One more test and you're free to go." Cyborg said. "I kinda want to see how you're structured, like your bones and stuff."

Daunt shrugged, looking toward him. "Knock yourself out." Daunt said simply, allowing Cyborg to hook her up to some odd wires. She stood still and tall, watching curiously as Cyborg did his thing. Daunt found everything rather interesting since it was new and foreign to her. She wanted to know more, learn more.

"This is amazing," She heard Cyborg say, so she tilted her head to observe him. He was staring at a large, glowing screen in awe. "Your biological components are very similar to Beast Boy's, but your mental structure is very similar to Raven's. If it's alright with you, can you shift? I'd like to see the process your body endures."

"Sure." Daunt said casually, shrugging. "Which form?"

"The one you used to fight." Cyborg said simply, smiling, as he watched her. Raven and Robin stood beside him, watching as well.

Daunt offered a nod and sucked in a deep breath as she began to concentrate. She could feel the pull deep in her gut that signaled the shift before she fell forward, bracing herself on her hands and knees. The first part of the shift was the reshaping, her bones molding and reforming to create the structure of the wolf. Her skull elongated and her teeth sharpened and her eye sockets split to make way for the two extra eyes and her ears curved and began to move upward to the top of her skull. The process was usually quicker, perhaps a second or two long, but Daunt had slowed it down so the others could watch. Her abs began to tighten and push upward into her stomach, pushing her organs aside as her legs elongated and her body added on layers of muscle to compensate for the new form. Her nails stretched and sharpened into hooked claws as the fur began to form. Daunt's fur was not like the fur of her cousins or brothers. While they had a solid color scheme- Cogent's form was pure black, his bright blue eyes always a defining feature; Ardent's wolf form was a cream color, like... the only comparison that comes to mind is the inside of a banana; Quip's wolf form was a snowy white like mist or snow, obviously- but Daunt's was different. The white fur of her shoulders grew first, her muscles rippling beneath her skin. Next came the white fur on her cheeks, the grey fur of her jaw, and the mottled black of her muzzle and the black ears tipped with brown. The gray to white gradient fur of her front legs came after the facial fur, then the tawny fur of her thighs and the white fur of her lower legs. The mocha-brown fur on her sides, neck, and underbelly came next as her tail finally formed and sprouted its brown to white gradient, the tip of her tail splotched with black. A thin black line of fur ran from the spot between her shoulder blades down to the base of her tail. Daunt let out a yawn when she was finished, stretching rather cattily. She prided herself on having a more unique look and her abilities, and 'showing off' for Cyborg had allowed her to share something she was proud of. She cocked her head to the side and allowed her tongue to loll out of her mouth, her wolfish muscles rippling beneath velvet fur and skin. Her neck was full, thick, and knotty with muscle; a short and stocky wolf made mostly of muscle and shorter fur. Yes, she was short- though not as short as Ardent- but she was twice as muscular as the other males and female. Her tail swished from side to side as she sat on her haunches, awaiting something- anything. Cyborg and Robin were too busy studying Daunt's vitals to say anything, so it was Raven who approached Daunt. She had one thin eyebrow arched as she circled her, perhaps curious. She ran her hand down part of Daunt's back, lost in her examination. Daunt didn't move, she didn't protest.

"Impressive." Raven murmured, twirling a lock of fur between her middle and index finger.

 _ **I'm flattered.** _ Daunt offered a doggish grin, her tail thumping against the floor.

"Telepathy?" Raven asked, her eyebrow quirked once again. "Also impressive."

 _ **That's not even the half of it.**_ Daunt looked back at her, offering a wink. It was odd to see such a gesture coming from an animalistic form. _**Pyrokinesis is my specialty.**_

"Pyrokinesis? Did my father grant you that?" Raven asked, folding her arms over her chest.

 _ **In a way, yes. It was... foretold my twin and I, along with our cousins, would be born with kinetic powers. Cogent is a cryokinetic, Ardent is an aerokinetic, Quip is a geokinetic.. And... none of us can survive without the others. We balance each other out.**_ Daunt said, tilting her head to the side. Perhaps absentmindedly, Raven scratched beneath Daunt's chin. Due to the look on Robin and Cyborg's faces, Daunt assumed Raven was usually not a touchy person.

"You know what," Cyborg said, "We should see how strong you are. Like, in a battle. With you just in your human form."

Daunt shifted back to her humanoid form, offering a small smile. "Deal. Who's my opponent?"

"We'll go in rounds." Robin said, offering a smile. "Me first, then Cyborg. I guess if Raven wants to she can fight you, too."

"And where will we brawl?" Daunt asked, curious.

"Follow me." Cyborg grinned.

* * *

Daunt rotated her neck to allow it to pop, grinning softly. The air outside was warm to her skin, though she was enshrouded by her fur cloak. She took it off, however, to reveal her form beneath. She was not exactly petite, nor was she thick, but perhaps somewhere between. Her gauntlets were leather, but lined with small metal spikes. Her breastplate was crafted from some sturdy, shiny black metal which cut off below her breasts. Her abdomen was protected and covered by a thin leather wrap, her legs covered by pants which were a mix of denim and leather it seemed. She wore furred boots similar to, perhaps, what a caveman would wear. If anything she looked as though she could be a grounder from the show _the 100_ , but she was not.

"Is this hand to hand, or-?"

"Hand to hand." Robin said with a nod. "Are you ready?"

Daunt smirked softly. "I was born ready."

Robin grinned and beckoned to her. Daunt leaped forward, a grin on her face. Robin aimed a punch to her ear, but Daunt deflected. She landed a softer kick to his thigh, the grin still upon her face, when it hit her.

 _Her body is shattered, she can see it clearly. She shouldn't be able to lay in this position. She can feel the blood drain from her body, coating the ground, staining her clothes and making them heavy. It hurts, it hurts so much but there's no stopping it. Maybe this is her end..._

Daunt inhaled sharply, coming to just in time to catch Robin's fist. She squeezed and forced him to the ground, her eyes wild. Raven was staring at Daunt, her eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry." Daunt said quietly, releasing him.

"For what?" Robin frowned. "You-"

"Daunt." Raven said, her hood over her face. "A word."

Daunt stood to her full height, grabbing her cloak, and approached Raven.


	5. Bullfight

"Something happened earlier," Raven said, studying Daunt. They were all back in the tower now, Cyborg and Robin were napping and Starfire was busing herself. Daunt was eating. "You saw something, what was it?"

"I.." Daunt paused, thinking. "I didn't see anything. It was.. a narration?"

Raven squinted at Daunt, "What do you mean?" The halfling asked. Daunt simply shrugged and looked away. She didn't know what to tell the girl, she didn't even know if she could completely trust the girl yet. "Daunt," Raven repeated, "what do you mean?"

"What I mean is I don't know." Daunt said, looking Raven in the eye. "I've only been back in the mortal realm for a day, I'm not sure what everything means yet. And.. I'm not sure about you."

"About me?" Raven frowned.

Daunt hesitated, then, "Yes. About you. There is something about you that draws me to you, perhaps our.. ah.. relation." Daunt struggled to find the right word through her vague understanding of the English knowledge. "I would like to figure that out sometime."

Raven watched her, "Again... what do you mean?"

"I'm asking you on, uh, what you mortals seem to call 'dates'." Daunt's nose wrinkled. "Funny name for courting, aren't dates a type of food?"

Raven's lips twitched in a smile. "Times have changed, Wolf. But, a date? I hardly know you."

"Fair enough." Daunt shrugged, trying to mask her hurt. "Think on it?"

Raven hesitated, but eventually she nodded. "I'll think on it." Hesitantly, she placed a hand on Daunt's shoulder. "I'll get back to you on that."

"So, ah, tell me about your teammates?" Daunt asked. "They seem.. interesting."

Raven glanced over at her friends, watching Cyborg and Robin drool. "Well, those two you already know. There's also Starfire and Beastboy. Starfire's a Tamaranean, a type of alien. Beastboy is a shapeshifter.. a changeling. Similar to you,"

Daunt nodded. "Tamaraneans? Those creatures visited our pack once. They came bearing gifts, my father found them endearing. As for changelings, I thought they were extinct." She shrugged. "But I've also been asleep for.. what? A millennium?"

"At least." Raven chuckled. Daunt smiled, deciding she liked Raven's laugh.

"And you.. you're half demon, half..?"

"Human." Raven responded. "Half human. What are you?"

"Me?" Daunt paused, curious. "Well... I am.. we are demons. But... not evil. We aren't slaves, we aren't servants. We are... ourselves. Or, at least we were." Daunt felt the sadness ebb onto her. "There were thousands of us beneath my father's reign, like.. like what you humans call kingdoms. My father was the king, my mother was the queen. My brother and I were the heirs, I suppose, but we never got our kingdom."

"Why?"

"Cogent, my brother, killed them all." Daunt said simply, looking Raven in the eyes. "So, I had to stop him."

"Did you?"

"No."

"Beastboy all comedy review!" Daunt looked up from her pizza to glance over at the green one, quirking an eyebrow. Daunt was eating with one hand, letting Raven examine her other arm since it had more tattoos and markings on it. Raven was trying to identify the marks in a big leather bound book. "I know what you're thinking- nothing's more annoying than not being able to play the tuba in the bathtub." Daunt was confused, where had the green one gotten a bathtub in the first place?

"More annoying than this?" Raven grumbled, glancing up from her book. She was referring to Beastboy, not researching Daunt's tattoos.

"Please, continue!" Starfire said excitedly. Quip and Ardent, who were curled up in their wolf forms in the corner, looked equally as confused at the green one's antics.

"Well, that won't be a problem if you have a tu-borkel!" The green one grinned. "Get it? It's part tuba, part snorkel! Get it? Huh? Well?"

Daunt frowned, "What's a tuba? Or a snorkel?"

Raven groaned in exasperation as the green one played something on the tuba, but everyone shot upward when the door exploded. Daunt's hand instantly ignited in flames as she shielded Raven, Quip and Ardent instantly got to their feet.

"Intruder alert!" The alarms blared.

"All right, we're under attack!" Cyborg said, jumping to his feet. But the object which had broken through the door, a sphere, did not move. "So.. why isn't it attacking?" Cyborg asked after a moment, confused.

"Because it's for me," Beastboy said, his playful demeanor gone.

Raven glanced at Daunt, who was still shielding her. "Are you... protecting me?" Raven asked. Despite her pale face being hidden by her hood, Daunt could sense a hint of a smirk on Raven's face. Daunt said nothing, but she did step out of the way. The sphere enveloped Beastboy in a blue light, scanning him. After a while, a figure lit up on the screen.

"Beastboy," The figure, male, said, "if this locator pod has found you, then you know what it means."

"The Doom Patrol is in trouble." Beastboy murmured.

"Our last location was in the amazon jungle," The voice told them, you should begin your search there. Beastboy, you know what must be done. I'm counting on you."

* * *

Robin and Raven had tried to convince the three remaining Ad Elfmuth to stay behind, but Daunt had declined and had come with the Titans anyway. Quip and Ardent followed Daunt's lead. They would not leave their alpha behind. They were in some sort of odd hovercraft, Daunt leaning against Raven as though she might be sick. Daunt decided she didn't much like the hovercraft.

"I told you you should've stayed behind," Raven chided.

"I don't listen to orders too well." Daunt conceded, burying her face in Raven's cape.

"Don't you dare throw up on me." Raven told her. Daunt gave her a thumbs up.

"What could of happened to them?" Robin asked, referring to the Doom Patrol.

"It's the Brotherhood of Evil." Beastboy explained. "After we stopped their black hole machine years ago- they went underground. Mento must've finally found them." Daunt could detect the seriousness in Beastboy's voice, wondering what brought on the sudden change of attitude. Who was the Doom Patrol? Daunt didn't know, but she didn't want to ask. A red dot began to beep on the sonar, drawing Daunt and Raven's attention away from each other- and Daunt's jet lag.

"Hey guys," Cyborg began, "I'm picking something up."

The hovercraft began descending, "Oh gods," Daunt grunted, grabbing ahold of Raven's hand. Daunt could tell the halfling was flustered, but Raven didn't shake Daunt's grasp away.

"Again," Raven began, "don't you dare throw up on me."

The machine landed, and Daunt and her two brethren were led out with the others onto the ground. For once, Daunt had never been so relieved to see it. Daunt looked around, but all she could see was trees and thick foliage. The scenery almost reminded her of her home, and the sadness ebbed into her again. Raven set a comforting hand on her shoulder, but said nothing. Daunt followed the Titans as they began to walk, sticking close to Raven, looking around as she did so. Soon, they came across a rather large thicket. Robin went to cut it aside, and the other Titans gasped at what they saw.

"Beastboy, is this-?" Starfire began.

"The Doom Patrol's ship!" Beastboy said, a tinge of worry in his voice. Ahead, burrowed tragically in the ground, was a gray and purple craft- larger than the Titan's vehicle. Daunt stared at it, wondering how far civilization had come. "Or.. at least what's left of it."

Cyborg glanced at a monitor on his arm, frowning, "Well, nobody's home."

"Then we start looking." Robin said.

Raven stepped forward, though Daunt still kept an eye on her. "They could be anywhere." Raven said.

"Then we'll look everywhere." Beastboy said, his tone hard, as he darted forward. The others began following in pursuit. To keep up, Daunt shifted into her wolf form- Quip and Ardent doing the same. They ran after the Titans, their paws sinking into the soft earth and leaping over fallen debris. Daunt kept her eyes ahead of her, but she followed Raven's scent- the cold smell of winter. When the Ad Elfmuth finally caught up, Beastboy was clearing some fallen branches out of his way.

"This Patrol of Doom," Starfire began, "why do you never speak of them?"

"Seriously!" Cyborg agreed. "The Doom Patrol are legends! You gotta have some good stories."

"It was something I did once." Beastboy said softly. "I'm a Titan now. You're moving too slow!" He snapped. He jumped into the air, taking on the form of a bird.

"He's acting strange... even for Beastboy." Raven concluded.

Robin turned to her, "I think he's just worried. The Doom Patrol raised him, they're like his family."

Daunt returned to her human form, frowning. "What is.. the Doom Patrol?"

"The Doom Patrol?" Cyborg asked, glancing at Daunt. "It's a superhero squad, like us."

"Ah," Daunt murmured.

"No!" Beastboy's startled cry came from the forest. All at once, the Titans turned in alarm. Daunt even shifted into her Crinos form, claws at the ready. The Titans fled toward the sound of Beastboy's cry to find the green one staring up at a copper metal man tangled in a patch of vines against a tree. A sign was taped to him, it read 'Trespassers Beware!' in red. Daunt paused, sniffing at the air for danger. Beastboy ran forward, shaking the man's leg. "Robotman! C'mon, wake up! It's me, Beastboy!" Beastboy turned to Cyborg frantically. "Cyborg, you have to fix him!"

"I'll do everything I can," Cyborg promised, his index finger igniting as he stepped forward. Daunt watched, her ears pricking forward in curiosity. Cyborg got to work, pulling the metal man down. "I'm pickin' up brain waves, he's alive in there... somewhere."

Starfire spoke up, her hands clasped together, "Brain waves?"

"The only part of him that's actually alive," Cyborg explained, "the rest is just machine. In a lot of ways, he's just a prototype of me." Cyborg glanced at a button on Robotman's chest. "Cross your fingers," He said as he pressed the button. Almost at once, Robotman whirred to life- surprising Daunt.

"Mento!" Robotman screamed, on his feet almost instantly. He even knocked Cyborg and Beastboy out of the way. Daunt's hackles instantly raised, a snarl tearing loose from her jaws. "I'm on my way!" He charged.

"Robotman, stop!" Beastboy pleaded.

Again, the Titans were on a chase- but this time they were following Robotman. Daunt ran like a man, her legs propelling her forward, Quip and Ardent following close behind. Daunt's human mind almost shut down, her wolfish instincts rising. She felt like she was chasing prey. Robotman knocked down tree after tree, which Daunt agilely leaped over, but soon he tripped a red laser line. Machines whirred to life, shooting up from the ground. Daunt almost skidded to a halt, alarmed, but her feet didn't stop in time. Robotman, however, didn't stop- he ran right through the machines' paths, causing their energy beams to strike one another and destroy them. Daunt flinched at each explosion, though she managed to safely halt herself. Her first thought was of Raven- where was she? Her second thought was herself wondering why she was suddenly so protective over the girl she hardly knew. Robotman had entered an abandoned facility, searching for something- or someone.

"Mento! Elastigirl!" Robotman's voice drew Daunt out of her stupor, causing her to shift back into her human form and advance forward.

"Cliff, what's going on?" Beastboy demanded. Daunt had to admit, she felt a bit relieved when she saw Raven with the other Titans.

"Ambush, came outta nowhere!" Robotman said hurriedly. "Negativeman! They can't of gotten far!"

"Robotman, I had to reset your internal chronometer when I repaired you.. you've been offline." Cyborg said.

"How long?!" Robotman demanded, advancing forward. "I said how long!"

Daunt felt the tension in her limbs building, ready to attack the metal man at any moment. The kinetic energy in her hands began rising, ready to ignite. "Five months," Beastboy said after a second of hesitation. He looked at the ground in shame.

"Five months!" Robotman exclaimed, striking the wall. "I've been shut down for five months?! Why'd they have to build me with on off-switch?!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Cyborg soothed, "by the looks of things, you really took a pounding."

Robotman advanced toward Cyborg and the others. Daunt tensed up again, unsure of the metal man's intentions. "We should've been able to handle it, we always do!" After a second's pause, he added, "This is your new group? It's just a bunch of kids!"

Daunt felt taken aback. "I am not a child," She began, drawing Robotman's attention, but Beastboy spoke up.

"It's nice to see you, too, Cliff."

"Sorry squirt," Robotman sighed, "they got us good, kid. We thought we had them." Robotman seemed to sink with despair.

"It's not too late, Cliff," Beastboy said, approaching Robotman, "we can still find them."

"You better believe we will." Robotman said. "I'm gonna squash that brain if it's the last thing I do!" Robotman made a fist, bringing his open hand against it roughly.

"I think he was talking about finding the Doom Patrol," Raven pointed out.

"Oh.. uh, right." Robotman said.

Almost on cue, the ground began shaking. "Take cover!" Robin said. "We don't know what we're up against."

"Ah, you might wanna tell that to him..." Cyborg pointed at Robotman, who was already running.

"You sure he has a brain in there?" Raven questioned.

Beastboy opened his mouth to speak, but said nothing other than, "Titans, go!" The green one began running, and after a beat the others followed.

"What's the point of this mission?" Daunt asked, confused.

"Find the Doom Patrol." Robin said. "Stop the Brotherhood."

* * *

It was a machine. A giant, sawing machine. Daunt halted when she saw it tearing down the foliage, a bit frightened, but she would not stir away from it. Robotman didn't stir away from it, either, but he was caught by the machine's claw. Daunt halted, panting, as she surveyed the scene. "Ardent, Quip!" She barked, and almost instantly her female cousin was beside her, eyes narrowed in determination. Quip took a bit longer getting there, a bit winded. After all, he was bulkier than the females. The Titans were already trying to bring down the machine, but to no avail.

"Yeah, Daunt?" Ardent asked. Quip wheezed something that sounded similar.

"Knock that thing over." Daunt growled. The twins grinned. Quip stomped his foot against the earth, sending vibrations through the ground. The earth beneath the machine shot upward, sending it flying. Ardent swept her arm to the side, bringing forth a gust of wind. The machine fell and struck the earth, causing it to shake. The machine exploded almost instantly.

"That was most.. daring." Starfire said.

"I was gonna say 'unnecessary'," Raven murmured, glancing over at Daunt.

"What?" Daunt asked, almost innocently. "I commanded my pack to do what we needed to do."

"Robotman," Robin said when the metal man appeared, "I know you want to stop the Brain.. but we're never going to find them if we don't work together. Attacking everything that moves isn't going to help."

"If he builds it," Robotman growled as he folded his arms over his chest, "I'm gonna break it. That's the way we do things in the Doom Patrol."

"Well in case you haven't noticed," Beastboy said, "This isn't the Doom Patrol." The green one placed his hands on his hips. Robotman grumbled his disapproval. "Cliff, this is the way it has to be- at least until we find Mento."

"This isn't kid stuff, Beastboy." Robotman said. He began walking away. "You think you can handle it?"

"You have no idea what we can handle." Beast boy said as he watched Robotman disappear.

"Should we follow?" Starfire asked tentatively. Daunt's mind ached with the very same question, but suddenly a familiar scent hit her nostrils: the scent of cold ice or snow. She instantly tensed, a low growl tearing from her lips.

"Daunt?" Raven asked, frowning, as she turned toward the demon.

"Get down!" Daunt said, her voice octaves lower and more gravelly as she leaped toward Raven. She shoved the empath out of the way just in time, a larger and bulkier figure had leaped from the trees with a startling roar. Daunt knew that roar. She hit the ground, Raven on top of her, a bit dazed and winded. "You go!" Daunt said, almost shoving Raven upward instantly. "You and the others go follow Robotman, take Ardent and Quip with you!"

"We don't need-" Beastboy began, but Daunt was in no position to listen.

"Just go!" Daunt bellowed. The figure leaped toward them, and Daunt intercepted the figure in midair. Both she and her new opponent shifted into their wolf forms when they hit the ground. Of course, Cogent went to run after the Titans- but Daunt leaped after him, sinking her teeth into his hind leg. The yelp her fangs and the pain she dealt Cogent were music to her ears. Daunt wasn't worried about how Cogent had showed up, she was simply focused on one thing: keeping the Titans, namely Raven, safe.

 _ **You betray us!**_ Cogent snarled at his sister, turning on her. His fangs sank into her back. Daunt yelped, but she did not go down.

 _ **I do not want to fight you, brother!**_ Daunt said, _**But if I will, I must!**_

 ** _For what?!_** Cogent demanded as he attempted to drive Daunt to the ground, but she held herself strong. She was not losing to her brother. _**For the halfling? To protect her?**_

 _ **I don't know!**_ Daunt admitted, and it was true. She didn't know why she was fighting. She didn't know what she felt for Raven. Cogent let out a vicious howl, but the loosening of his jaws was just what Daunt needed. She took the moment to twist beneath her brother, her jaws gluing to his throat. Cogent thrashed, the skin in Daunt's jaws becoming cold- almost unbearably cold. Daunt growled, but held on. If he was going to fight her with ice, she would fight back with fire. Cogent snarled and managed to clamp his jaws onto one of Daunt's tender ears, tearing the flesh to ribbons. Daunt yelped in pain, her body going limp and steel-trap jaws releasing her brother. Cogent's jaws then clamped onto Daunt's shoulder, and he began to chew. His razor sharp teeth chewed through muscle and bone, spilling blood across the earth and against Daunt's fur. Daunt struggled, but the pain was too immense- even for her. Finally, she snapped her teeth into Cogent's front leg. She felt the bones splinter beneath her jaws, and felt Cogent release her.

 ** _You wretched-_** Cogent began, but he didn't get to finish. Daunt's thick skull rammed into his windpipe, cutting off his breath. He stumbled back, a bit dazed, but recovered and lunged toward his sister again. They met each other head on, rearing up into a mess of slashing teeth and digging claws, emerald eyes locked hatefully against ice blue ones.

 _ **Are you insane?!**_ Daunt demanded. **_You're my brother! I am not the enemy!_**

 ** _Yes... you.. ARE!_** Cogent said as he managed to flip Daunt onto her back. She fell with a loud _crunch_ as her head struck the ground. Her skull bounced, then struck the ground again. For a moment, her world went black. When she came- to again, Cogent was standing over her in human form. "I'm sorry, Dauntie," He cooed, "but I can't have you messing up my plan. I can't kill you yet, though... not yet.. there's something of yours I need." With that note, Cogent planted his steel-toed boots against Daunt's skull, and her world went completely black.


	6. If It Means A Lot To You

When Daunt finally came-to the second time, she was on a metal table. Raven was watching her worriedly, her brows furrowed, watching over the demon. Daunt went to push herself up, but realized she was still in her wolf form and still not fully healed. "Stay down." Raven cautioned, a hand upon Daunt's leg. She didn't dare touch Daunt's mangled shoulder just yet, that would need stitches. But Daunt complied and rested her head upon her paws. Raven began to grab a needle and thread from a first aid kit on the hovercraft, Quip and Ardent watching her readily.

 _ **Wait,**_ Daunt said, **_it'll be easier if you let me change into my human form. The human form heals more quickly._**

Raven started to protest, then stopped, and gave a slight nod. "Okay." She agreed. "Go ahead."

Daunt began to shift, closing her eyes in concentration. She felt the broken bones of her spine and shoulder blades reform, crunching back into normal human bones. The open gash on her shoulder, however, stayed open. It was a grisly sight, and Cogent's teeth had laid Daunt's shoulder open to the white bone. Daunt flinched when she looked at the wound, but eventually sucked in a deep breath. "You can go ahead now," Daunt murmured. Raven nodded and stuck the needle into Daunt's flesh, causing the girl to flinch. They stayed in stony silence for a while before Daunt spoke. "How long have I been out?"

"Oh, about a day or two." Raven said nonchalantly.

"That's it?" Daunt mused. "I would've thought longer."

"Nope. Just a couple days," Raven murmured.

They went back to silence after that, so Daunt piped up again. "Did you complete your mission?"

"Mhm." Raven said. "Be quiet now, I need to focus."

Daunt frowned, but did as told. She found tapping her unharmed hand against her knee took a bit of the focus off of the pain. Raven stared at Daunt's grisly wound, working hard. Yes, she had tried magic to heal the wound earlier- but it had not helped. Daunt knew this, she could sense it. So, disobeying Raven, she spoke. "It didn't heal because of the venom."

Now Raven was curious. "The venom?"

"We have pockets of venom located beneath our lower canine teeth." Daunt explained. "They're packed into our jaw- just below the two lower canines... similar to a snake."

"This venom... what does it do?"

"Well, for halflings it has certain healing factors." Daunt admitted. "And for humans, well.."

"Well?"

"It turns them into our kind. Where do you think mortals got the idea of werewolves?" Daunt said, watching Raven. Raven broke the thread in half, admiring her handiwork.

"Fifty-nine stitches." Raven murmured. "You're lucky you don't have a concussion, too. You hit your head pretty hard."

"I have a thick skull." Daunt offered a grin. There was a few beats of silence, then, "Did you ever make up your mind about going on a date?"

"My mind has been elsewhere.." Raven said, becoming a bit guarded.

"I know." Daunt said levelly. "But... there are things I need to figure out."

"How?" Raven asked, incredulous. "I've known you for about four days, Praes-" Raven cut herself off, a hand to her mouth in surprise.

Daunt was equally surprised, but more intrigued. "You know my Name."

"Of course I do," Raven said, attempting to brush something off. She had found a jackpot of information on the Ad Elfmuth in one of her books. She knew what this meant. "Your name is Daunt."

"No, not my _name_." Daunt said. "You know my _Name_. My true name. Only-"

Raven sighed, "The only ones who know an Ad Elfmuth's true name are their wards-" Raven said wards as in a person someone would guard.

"-Or their mate." Daunt finished.

Raven sighed, "I don't suppose it means mate as in friend, huh?"

"Nope." Daunt grinned. "So, how about that date?"

"Fine." Raven sighed, rubbing her temples. Honestly, she had felt the same pull Daunt had felt when the two were around each other, but she had not been looking for anything romantic- especially with another demon. A demon and a half-demon together certainly would not be good. And, aside from that, Daunt was immortal- Raven was not. What would happen when she died? Raven pushed that thought from her head. She hadn't even gone on a date with the demon yet and she was already thinking ahead into the future. "Fine, fine, fine. But there are two things you're gonna need to do."

"Which are...?" Daunt asked, curious as to what Raven's demands were.

"First, ditch the tribal clothes." Raven said, though it was without rancor. She simply wanted to go on as much of a normal date they could without people ogling Daunt's native dress. "Try something... normal. Second.." She trailed off, deciding to let Daunt's curiosity grow, then continued a couple beats later, "if you really wanna impress me, don't go all out. Something... simple would be nice. Nothing too over the top. Understand?"

Daunt nodded, smiling. "It's a deal."

"I'll see you around seven, then." Raven nodded.

* * *

"Are you sure Raven's going to like this?" Daunt airily asked Cyborg, Robin, and Beastboy. She knew Starfire would not of been much help, so she had gone with the latter of asking the boys for help finding 'normal' clothes. They'd found something they'd thought would match her style, and they had not been wrong. Taken out of their braids, Daunt's curly hair cascaded down her shoulders- which were covered by a leather jacket. The jacket's hem ended at her rib cage. Beneath her jacket was a faded punk t-shirt, some rock band shirt presumably. She'd also been given a pair of slim jeans that were slightly torn and a pair of steel-toed combat boots. The change was a bit awkward, and something Daunt wasn't too used to, but she did look rather nice in it.

"Duh," Beastboy said, "you look like some rockstar!"

"Rockstar?" Daunt asked, confused.

"Someone, ah, widely known for musical abilities." Robin conceded.

"Ah," Daunt gave a curt nod, "I see. What time is it?"

Cyborg glanced at his wrist, the time flashing on his monitor. "It's nearly 6:50. Any idea where you're taking her?"

Daunt froze. She'd totally forgotten. "No."

"Maaaan," Beastboy whined, "the first girl to catch a date with Raven and you don't even know? C'mon dude!"

Daunt felt her cheeks flush, which had never happened before. "I got distracted." She admitted. "I have not been here long, either.. what do I.. where do I..?"

"Look," Cyborg said, "she said simple, right?" Daunt nodded. "So take her to a ball game, man!" Cyborg hooted.

"A... ball game?" Daunt seemed unconvinced. She didn't even know what a ball game was.

"If you go, Raven will explain." Robin dismissed.

"Well.. it is late. What about food?" Daunt asked, still a bit averted to the ball game idea.

"Dude, you really are clueless," Cyborg mused, "food is served there. Just take her to the baseball game tonight."

* * *

"How're your stitches holding?" Raven asked casually as Daunt paid for their tickets. Raven had changed out of her cloak for once and into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, which had surprised Daunt- Raven could still picture Daunt's face in her mind, the words she had said: _oh, you look really, uh... cute._ Raven knew the boys had told Daunt what was acceptable for her to say. Raven guessed 'courting', as Daunt called it, had gone differently back in her day.

"My stitches?" Daunt asked, having forgotten. Then, "Oh! Oh, they're fine."

Raven nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer. "That was a hell of a gash, you know.. pardon my French."

"Wasn't that English?" Daunt asked.

"You're almost as bad as Starfire, you know." Raven chided, but this time she was smiling. "It's a figure of speech."

Daunt offered a nod, glancing around. "Ah. I understand. We... didn't have many jokes back where I came from."

"What was it like back then anyway?" Raven asked, gingerly taking the tickets from Daunt's hand. She handed them to the ticket master, who directed them toward their seats.

"Back then?" Daunt murmured, frowning as she began to think. Raven had to admit, the wistful face Daunt made when she was thinking was cute. Raven had been rather reluctant to go to the ballgame, but had sensed that the boys had helped Daunt chose the location- so she'd taken it easy on the demon. After all, it was sweet of Daunt to actually want to please Raven. "Back then it was different." Daunt began as they took their seats. "We were social, but times were hard. Back then, we weren't the only demons out and about." She said gravely. "My father's father had found a very safe valley for us to take refuge in. We built our homes there, started our lives. We called it _Glade est caeli_." Daunt murmured.

"What does that mean?" Raven murmured.

"It meant 'Glade of Heavens'." Daunt replied. "It was beautiful. Our lives were more about surviving than living," Daunt admitted, "we focused on protecting the young and learning from the old. We were intelligent, we shared our secrets with the natives here."

"Which were?" Raven asked.

"I don't know." Daunt admitted sheepishly. "It was before my time, when my father's father was still the Alpha."

"Who were your parents?" Raven asked curiously.

"Well.. their Names, before they died, were Perdito and Decus." Daunt murmured. "But, their names were Rancor and Scenic."

"How did they die?" Raven asked.

"My brother killed them, and our younger sibling- Regulus." Daunt admitted. "It was.. bittersweet. But I'll admit, I did not like Regulus. Nor did Cogent,"

"Why not?"

"Our parents played favorites. Cogent caught Regulus bargaining with Trigon. Regulus wanted the pack for himself, and he was my father's favorite... but pack law declared the ruling of the pack would go to my brother and I as the firstborns since Cogent and I are twins."

"Why was Regulus your father's favorite?" Raven asked, curious.

"My brother and I were born from wedlock, as you mortals would call it." Daunt admitted. "My father and mother did not love each other. When my mother became pregnant, it meant my father would need to marry her regardless." Daunt hesitated. "My mother used to tell Cogent and I ' _non est meus est orbis_ '. It means, 'you are my world'." Daunt paused. "My mother loved my brother and I immensely. But.. my father did kill her."

Raven was taken aback at the information. "He killed her?"

"Yes." Daunt murmured. "Cogent and I were ten. My father remarried his mistress, who was already pregnant. Her name was Venus. She gave birth to Regulus. My father always loved our younger brother more... it drove Cogent insane."

"What about you?" Raven murmured.

Daunt's cheeks flushed, "It upset me, of course, but it simply prompted me to get into trouble."

"How so?"

"I enjoyed courting others. But I never found my mate then, and I understand why that is now." Daunt murmured. Raven felt the heat rising to her cheeks.

"You don't know if I'm your mate yet," Raven said hastily. "I hardly know you."

"You knew my Name," Daunt pointed out, "We have a connection. Besides, isn't the date supposed to bring us together?" Raven couldn't argue with Daunt's point. She fell silent and began watching the game as the players were introduced. Occasionally, Raven glanced over curiously at Daunt, who was mesmerized with the game. Raven wondered if she'd ever seen anything like it, but then remembered Daunt probably hadn't. As the night fell, Raven found herself growing cold. She knew she should've brought her cloak, but she hadn't. Daunt glanced over at her, frowning in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Raven nodded, "just a little chilly."

Almost instantly, Daunt had shrugged off her jacket, "Here," The Ad Elfmuth smiled.

"Oh, Daunt, I don't want you to-"

"Get cold?" Daunt laughed. "Please, I'm a pyrokinetic and a demon. I don't get cold. In fact, I was kind of sweating. Just take the jacket." Raven frowned, but in silent appreciation she slipped the jacket on. It was a little too big for her, and it dawned on her that Daunt was way older and perhaps even stronger than she was. Daunt's form was riddled with muscle and scars and tribal markings. Her facial tattoos stood out the most, but so did her piercing emerald eyes. And how much had Daunt said she could lift? Not to mention her form was larger than Raven's, and she was taller than the empath. Daunt turned her head when she realized Raven was staring. "What?" Daunt asked. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No, no." Raven smiled. "I was just thinking."

"Ah," Daunt offered a nod, and returned her attention back to the game. After a few moments, Raven took the demon's calloused and tanned hand in her own. She wasn't surprised when Daunt's fingers laced with hers, nor was she surprised when she felt Daunt leaning against her. Raven had to admit, she could get used to this; however, she didn't want to lose control of her emotions. What if she got hurt? Or worse, what if she hurt Daunt? Almost as if Daunt could read Raven's mind, and Raven didn't doubt that Daunt could read her mind, Daunt offered Raven's hand a gentle squeeze. "You won't hurt me." Daunt smiled. "Open up to me a little, I won't bite."

"But what if I do?" Raven asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, good thing I heal quickly." Daunt said simply. Taken aback by Daunt's nonchalant answer, Raven decided to open up a little, deciding she'd attempt to scare Daunt a bit.

"I was raised in an alternate dimension," She blurted out.

"Oh?"

"Yup, raised by monks who were afraid of my demon father. My mom was supposed to be a sacrifice, you know, that's how I was consummated." Raven sniffed. "I summoned my father on accident one day, he almost killed everyone."

Daunt quirked an eyebrow. "And what did you do?"

"I was forced to flee."

"Yet you stood up to him in the end and defeated him." Daunt noted. "And don't say otherwise, I was there when it happened. Your monks have been avenged, they did not die in vain."

Perplexed, Raven tried to think of something else. "If I don't stay calm, I could kill you."

"If I don't stay calm I'll incinerate everything in a five-mile radius," Daunt said coolly.

"You're making my attempts to block your flirting fruitless, Daunt." Raven sniffed.

"Ah, my bad," Daunt rolled her eyes- but Raven knew the demon was being playful.

Raven's violet eyes looked up toward the jumbo-tron, and she quirked an eyebrow when she saw who was on the screen- on the kiss cam screen, to be more exact. "Well, lookie there." Raven murmured. Daunt was on the screen, but not with Raven. Instead, it depicted Daunt with the man sitting next to her. The man wiggled his eyebrows and turned to Daunt, expecting something- in which the 'something' was a kiss. Daunt seemed a bit uncomfortable and confused, Raven could feel that she didn't fully understand. Daunt's eyes flicked up to the screen, reading the words, and Raven could almost see the gears turning in Daunt's skull as she put together the meaning of 'kiss cam'. Raven knew something was coming, but she didn't know what. For a moment, she felt almost dismayed at the thought Daunt might kiss someone that wasn't her. Raven had no idea why, after all- she'd only known Daunt for a handful of days. But suddenly, Daunt grabbed Raven by the collar of her jacket and slammed her lips against the emapth's.

"Hmmf!" Raven went in surprise. Her hands, tense, were against Daunt's toned shoulders. Her lips were against Daunt's, and she was surprised at how soft and warm the demon's lips were. She let her eyes fall shut, she let herself relax against Daunt. After all, so what if she was the Ad Elfmuth's mate?


End file.
